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It's about time I figured out a good way to make Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup. It is seriously one of my favorite meals, so finding a super easy way to make it without using ‘from the can' chicken broth was a huge deal to me.

And it should be a huge deal to you too. Because this soup is PERFECT.

This one took me a few tries to get right. I started by using boneless skinless chicken breasts with water and bouillon, and it was ok. But it didn't have that depth of flavor that you need in a good chicken soup. I think it's because there's nothing in the chicken breast to dissolve into the water. Bone, cartilage and just a little bit of fat are necessary to make a good broth.

And white meat only in chicken soup just doesn't cut it. I don't have anything against white meat, but dark meat it just WAY better in soups – Especially in this crockpot chicken noodle soup.

Then I tried chicken thighs with the skin on. Too much fat in the broth.

That is how I arrived at using 4 skinless chicken thighs. You can buy them skinless, or just easily take the skin off yourself. I also trim off most of the fat, but it's ok to leave some of it on. I also included 2 bouillon cubes to add some more chicken flavor.

Thyme is my absolute favorite spice in chicken soup. So I'm not shy in using it – 4 tsp is perfect.

Throw in all of the chopped vegetables and then add the spices on top.

Top with the chicken and water, turn on the slow cooker and wait. 4 hours, 8 hours, it doesn't really matter how long.

Once you're getting ready to eat, take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place it on a large cutting board. Get the meat off the bones in with a fork – it should fall off so easily. Then place the chicken back in the slow cooker and turn it off.

Now for the noodles. You could just put the raw noodles in the slow cooker, but I tried it twice with not so good results. I think the water isn't hot enough to cook them properly. They get mushy and fall apart.

I recommend cooking them in boiling water as usual. Then drain and transfer them to the slow cooker and immediately serve the soup.